FOR ALL U.S. VETERANS AND THEIR FAMILIES

PLEASE JOIN US FOR BREAKFAST AND A BUS TOUR TO FT. CUSTER NATIONAL CEMETERY IN AUGUSTA.

MEETING AT 8:30AM, MAY 18 AT LANGELAND WESTSIDE CHAPEL 3926 SOUTH 9TH STREET; KALAMAZOO 49009

BREAKFAST AND COFFEE WILL BE SERVED

TOUR BUS DEPARTS AT 9:30AM

ALL U.S. VETERANS, SPOUSES AND OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS ARE WELCOME.

RESERVATIONS REQUIRED FOR EVENT. CALL 269-488-8132 

ALL ARE WELCOME!

This event is held annually to provide a special time prior to the holidays for those who are grieving to pause and find comfort by honoring their loved ones who have become an important part of their memories. There will be an opportunity to light a memorial candle in honor of your loved one along with meaningful music, inspirational readings and a time to reflect. The ceremony will last about a half an hour followed by a light reception. There is no preregistration required. There will also be a special acknowledgement of our women and men who have served and are serving in our military, both living and deceased, in honor of Veteran's Day.

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2022                                                                                         2:00pm - 3:00pm

LANGELAND FAMILY FUNERAL HOMES - WESTSIDE CHAPEL

3926 SOUTH 9TH STREET

KALAMAZOO, MI 49009

Langelands recognizes the important role that clergy play in our community as they walk beside people through the ups and the downs of life.  Death is one of these critical times when individuals and families need this special encouragement. As Langelands sees the clergy provide this special care we also want to partner and support our area clergy in their essential role. It is from of this desire that we host the Clergy Breakfast every other year.  Langelands brings in a special speaker for the breakfast who is an expert in the area of grief and caring for the individual and family through death, and grief. The breakfast is also an opportunity for the clergy to come together as they share many of the same burdens and benefit from this time of fellowship. 

Speaker for April 2022 - Rev. Dr. Thomas Long is our featured speaker for the 2020 Clergy Breakfast. Dr. Long's previous visit was so appreciated by the local clergy that it is our pleasure to bring him back for a second and more expanded visit. Look here for updates on the opportunities to meet and hear Dr. Long. Rev. Dr. Thomas Long author of numerous books on preaching and exegesis including The Good Funeral: Death, Grief, and the Community of Care.

Thomas G. Long is the Bandy Professor of Preaching Emeritus at Candler School of Theology at Emory University. A Presbyterian minister, Dr. Long has served churches in Georgia and New Jersey. He has taught preaching for over forty years -- at Erskine Theological Seminary, Columbia Theological Seminary, Princeton Theological Seminary, and, from 2000-2015, at Candler. Dr. Long has served as the president of the Academy of Homiletics and as senior homiletics editor of the New Interpreter’s Bible. He has been editor of Theology Today, is currently an associate editor of Journal for Preachers, and serves as an editor-at-large at The Christian Century. He is the author of textbooks on preaching and worship, collections of sermons, and biblical commentaries on Matthew, Hebrews, and the Pastoral Epistles. In 2011, he was awarded the Emory Williams prize for excellence in teaching by Emory University, and in 2015 he received Emory’s “Scholar/Teacher Award,” the top faculty scholarship award of the university. He delivered the 2006 Lyman Beecher Lectures in Preaching at Yale Divinity School, and these have been published as Preaching from Memory to Hope. His most recent books are Accompany Them with Singing: The Christian Funeral, What Shall We Say? Evil, Suffering, and the Crisis of Faith, The Good Funeral: Death, Grief, and the Community of Care (with Thomas Lynch), and 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus.

Past Speakers at Clergy Breakfasts - Dr. John Canine author of The Challenge of Living; Michael Spehn author of The Color of Rain; Dr. Robert Devries & Dr. Susan Zonnebelt-Smeenge author of numerous books on grieving including Traveling through Grief: Learning to Live Again After the Death of a Loved One; and Rev. Dr. Thomas Long author of numerous books on preaching and exegesis including The Good Funeral:  Death, Grief, and the Community of Care.

Some the comments shared by clergy who have attended a Langeland Clergy Breakfast:

“Relevant subject matter, knowledgeable speakers, and opportunity to make connections with other clergy”

“Timing, setting, breakfast, speakers and the welcome from the staff was great!”

“The subject matter of the Breakfast and the contacts made were very beneficial.”

MONTHLY GRIEF SUPPORT - DROP IN GROUP

OVERVIEW OF THE GRIEVING PROCESS. GRIEF CAN BE OVERWHELMING, THIS OVERVIEW CAN BE HELPFUL FOR THOSE WHO ARE NEW TO GRIEF, AND HAVE FOUND THEMSELVES STUCK IN THE GRIEF PROCESS, OR KNOW SOMEONE THEY WOULD LIKE TO ASSIST IN THEIR GRIEF JOURNEY. 

LOOK FOR THE CURRENT GROUP UNDER THE MONTH AND THERE IS INFORMATION ABOUT THE DATE; TIME AND LOCATION.

ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE MONTHLY GROUP CAN BE DIRECTED TO - DANA NAUMANN, BEREAVEMENT CARE COORDINATOR - AT 343-1508 OR DANA@LANGELANDS.COM

SIX SESSION GROUP (G.R.O.W.) 
HELD PERIODICALLY THROUGHOUT THE YEAR BOTH DAYTIME AND EVENING SESSIONS AVAILABLE
PREREGISTRATION REQUESTED

G.R.O.W. is a six session informational grief support group. Each week a new topic on working through the grief process will be presented and there is also time for the group members to share their personal experiences as they feel comfortable. The group is open to the community and there is no charge for the sessions.

LOOK FOR THE CURRENT SIX WEEK G.R.O.W. GROUP UNDER THE MONTH AND IT WILL APPEAR THERE IF THERE IS A GROUP SCHEDULED FOR THAT MONTH.

ANY QUESTIONS AND REGISTRATION FOR THE G.R.O.W. GROUP CAN BE DIRECTED TO - DANA NAUMANN, BEREAVEMENT CARE COORDINATOR - AT 343-1508 OR DANA@LANGELANDS.COM

HOSPICE CAREGIVER AWARDS ANNUAL BANQUET 
OCTOBER 3, 2018 BANQUET 

On October 3, Langeland Family Funeral Homes hosted their 3rd annual Langeland Hospice Caregivers Awards Banquet. This banquet is to honor the monthly Hospice Caregiver Award winners that were presented over the past year. Roxanne James a Hospice Aide for Hospice Care of Southwest MI – Rose Arbor, was selected as the Langeland Hospice Caregiver for 2018. Unfortunately Roxanne was not able to attend the banquet but she sent two of her co-workers from Hospice Care of Southwest MI – Rose Arbor in her place. Attending in Roxanne’s stead were Heidi Hotchkiss who works at Rose Arbor and Pam Hart a volunteer at Rose Arbor. They were both excited for Roxanne and felt that the award was very well deserved.

Dana Naumann, the Bereavement Care Coordinator, reached Roxanne by phone after the banquet to speak with her about the 2018 Hospice Caregiver Award. Roxanne said she appreciates the award very much and is also very humbled by it. She insisted that there are many others who are more deserving of this honor. She went on to talk about the amazing team that she works with at Rose Arbor. “No one talks about each other; we take care of each other and work so well together.” This includes both the paid employees and the volunteers who are such a valuable resource for Rose Arbor. Roxanne expressed her passion about her hospice work. “Working at hospice is not a job, it is a calling.”

Initially Roxanne was not sure she wanted to work in hospice, but a good friend of hers who is a nurse and knows her well told her, “It is everything you want to do.” So she applied at Rose Arbor and said from the moment she walked in the door she knew she belonged and that she would work there until her retirement. That was 15 years ago.

Roxanne also knows personally what it is like to take care of a loved one who is dying. Her mother lived with her for four years before her death and spent six months at Rose Arbor. She remembers how difficult it was physically and emotionally, but she also remembers the sweet and funny times they had together when they could not stop laughing over an unexpected event. After her mother’s death last year she said, “Now I truly get it; when family members say, ‘I can’t get my breath, I feel like I am dying.’” She sees this now as another facet to how she can be there for others.

When Roxanne was asked to describe what she does to unwind from her hospice work she described her home. She lives on 40 acres in Lawton and loves to spend time outside in nature. She also does a little bit of animal rescue on the side. She has a rescued horse and donkey and recently acquired a calf in trade for a tractor. Roxanne is always focused on how she can assist those around her. Roxanne is also a mother to four and a grandmother to six. She says her family is very close and the grandchildren love coming and spending time on the property.

Roxanne was nominated by one of the families of a patient she cared for. She is so thankful that she is able to help these families in their time of need. She is also very thankful for what these families have taught her over the years. She said, “I learned to have a more positive attitude. I learned to have more patience. I learned to be a much better listener, and I learned to be more compassionate.” They have all left an imprint on her life.

It is Langeland Family Funeral Homes pleasure to bring special recognition to our area’s hospice caregivers. These individuals give of themselves every day and play such a significant role in families’ lives. It is our desire to give an opportunity for people to share how much an individual has touched theirs and others’ lives with their caring.

Langelands is currently taking nominations for the monthly Hospice Caregiver Award which will be recognized at a banquet in 2019. Go to www.langelands.com to submit a nomination.